


Until The Stars Go Out

by GhostGrapes



Series: Until The Stars Go Out [1]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV), The Originals (TV), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Rift, Thousand Years Old, Vampires, War, Werewolves, Witchcraft, Witches, familiar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-06-21 20:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15565605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostGrapes/pseuds/GhostGrapes
Summary: A thousand years ago, a young witch made a grave error in her haste in trying to save her best friend from death. While trying to save her, she inadvertantly turned her best friend into a creature of the night. In one night, a human was turned into a vampire, and a witch into an immortal.A thousand years later, the witch and the vampire are still together, along with the witch's familiar, and a determined human that will not leave them alone while they survive the insane world of the supernatural.During their travels, they stumbled upon Toronto, a place where they could settle down. Unfortunately, they cannot seem to find peace, as a rift in the fabric of reality seems to have formed in their new city.Through the trials of saving both the city and keeping their family together, they once again must learn how to fight together as one.... or everything may fall apart.





	1. Before

In the thousand years I have been alive, I have learned that few things are certain. Those that are, however, need to be cherished, for they can slip through your fingers as quickly as they appear. Mortal life would be one. I never thought of my life as anything special. I would live, then I would die and go on to the afterlife, the next big adventure. But I never got that, and neither did those I hold most dear. 

 

_ “Aiya, my love, come here.”  The voice of Aiya’s mother called from across the hut they lived in. _

_ Looking up from the flowers her mother had let her pick earlier in the day, she smiled at her mother, “Yes mother?”  _

_ “I have something for you, darling.” With a nod, Aiya stood and stumbled over to her mother, grasping onto her mother’s knees when she reached her. “My sweet, sweet child. Mother loves you.” _

_ “I love you too!” Smiling at her only child, Rebekah pulled her onto her lap and waved her hand, electric blue energy pooling on her daughter’s lap, revealing a small kitten. The kitten, the little witch’s familiar, locked eyes with her, it’s bright purple eyes glowing when their gazes locked. “Mother…?” _

_ “This is your familiar, little one.” _

_ “Familiar? What is that, mother?” Rebekah chuckled, watching as the little black kitten nuzzled against her daughter. _

_ “You are a witch, my little one. You are a very strong and powerful witch, especially for your age. This little kitten is connected to you now, he will assist you as your magic grows.” _

_ “But how, mother?” The little girl was confused, she couldn’t understand how a small cat with strange eyes could help her with the abilities she had inherited. _

_ “That is something you will have to figure out on your own, my little one.” Aiya’s mother said with a small smile on her face as she watched her small daughter pet the black kitten. _

 

It was a thousand years ago, when we were still human and carefree. When our lives did not consist of death and never-ending misery. When all we had to worry about was surviving in a time when it was not simple to do so.

 

_ “Come on Saskia! I wish to show you something!” Aiya called from the meadow she sat in, waiting for her best friend to approach her, her familiar circling her feet. _

_ “What is it Aiya? You know that if we stay out here past sunset, our fathers will not be pleased.” Saskia said sternly as she sat before me, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. _

_ “It will only take a moment Saskia. Do not fret, we will be back before the sun passes behind the mountains.” Aiya said chidingly, wanting her friend to see the new things she had learned from her mother’s grimoires. _

_ “Very well. But let us make haste, Aiya.” Saskia rolled her eyes at her friend as a large grin appeared on the girl’s face.  _

_ “Close your eyes for a moment, I will tell you when to open them.” Nodding slowly, Saskia did as she was instructed. Once Aiya was sure that her friend could not see her. She cupped her hands around a small crystal she had found amongst her mother’s possessions. Shutting her eyes aswell, Aiya began muttering the incantation, “ _ **_De potestate et lunae lumen stellarum lumen semitis meis. Protege me a tenebris ad sidera mundus._ ** _ ” Grinning gleefully when the crystal began to shine as bright as the stars, Aiya nudged her friend, prompting her to open her eyes. _

_ “Wha- how did you-” Saskia was shocked, she could not fathom how her friend had created the light as she sat there with Nikolas, Aiya’s cat, snuggled in her lap. _

_ “Magic! I found mother’s grimoires. Nikolas has been helping me focus my magic, Father tries to keep them away from me, but it’s like they’re calling to me. The spells in the grimoires are amazing, Saskia!” Aiya told her friend enthusiastically, practically vibrating with excitement. _

_ “Are you sure this is safe, Aiya?” _

_ “Fun things are not normally safe, Saskia.” With a sigh, Saskia inclined her head, slightly agreeing with her words. _

_ “We should go, Aiya. The sun has almost set.” Nodding absently, Aiya let the magic fade from the crystal before she let Saskia pull her up and lead her back to their village. _

 

As children, turning into young adults, many things changed in our lives. Once I learned the wonders of magic, I learned very quickly to stay out of the way of my father, for he believed magic was the cause of my mother’s death. In the years after her death, he became cold and distant, locking away any memory of her. Not that it could keep my away from magic… And there were consequences.

 

_ “Saskia! Saskia, where are you?!” Aiya screamed as she ran through the village, feeling the connection she had magically made with Saskia begin to weaken. “Please Saskia! Answer me!” Aiya began to panic, her magic sparking at her fingertips. “Nikolas, go back to the hut, get mother’s grimoire! Hurry, Nik!” As the familiar nodded once and ran off, Aiya picked up her friend into her arms and stumbled across the village, sobbing as she clutched Saskia to her chest.  _

_ As soon as Aiya burst through the door, she saw that Nikolas had gotten out the grimoire she had asked for, as well as some of the ingredients she needed. Setting Saskia down, she quickly put candles around her friend and grasped the grimoire in her hands, flipping through it until she found the correct spell.  _

_ “This is it, I can do this. Nikolas, please, help me save her from this cruel and untimely death.” The tears streamed down her face as she took the small dagger her mother had passed onto her and slit her wrist, dripping the blood into her friend’s mouth as she chanted the words to the spell, willing the magic in her veins to complete the complicated spell.  _

_ “ **Sacrificium et sanguinem translationem ex virtute solis, lunae hostia ligabunt te volente. Da tuis in aeternum protegit a vulnerability hostiam velle, nisi quod ex ligno, Quercus alba. De translatione sanguinem sustinet daret tibi.** ” _

_ With a final push of her magic, Saskia gasped and sat up, faster than humanly possible. Before Aiya could realise what was happening, Saskia had lunged forward, the deep hunger within too much as she sank her newly elongated fangs into Aiya’s neck, piercing it and began to drain her of her life essence. Crying out, Aiya tried to push her best friend away, but could not find the strength.  _

_ “I’m sorry my friend.” Aiya whispered as she let her magic flow towards her friend, bursting blood vessels in her brain. With a screech, Saskia launched herself away, a horrified look on her face as she saw what she had done. _

_ “Aiya….” _

_ “You bit me!” Cried Aiya, clutching the side of her neck as she watched her friend in horror, slowly realising what was happening to her. _

_ “Oh my gods! Aiya, I am so sorry! Please,Aiya , I cannot control this hunger!” She cried, the inhuman shade of red of her eyes and the sharp set of teeth slowly fading as she controlled herself as to not injure her best friend again. _

_ “Well… okay. We will figure this out, Saskia. I swear to you.” She spoke softly as she took her crying and petrified friend into her arms, trying to calm her down. “I will always help you Saskia. Until the stars go out.” _

 

Ever since the day I cursed my best friend, my sister, into the life of a creature of the night, we have stuck together. Through everything, I have always had Saskia and my familiar, Nikolas. 

A thousand years together, and we have never separated, no matter how much we have changed in our time together. Through the bitterness and hatred that I have shown towards the world, my family has stuck by me. And although I should be grateful to them, I cannot show them, for that is a weakness that I cannot afford. 

In my thousand years of life, I have learned that sentiment only leaves you vulnerable, for your enemies can use it against you, and I cannot protect my family if I have a weakness.

 

-Aiya Starrason


	2. Charmed

Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2012

 

There was a small shop, with a sign that held the words:

 

**_Charmed_ **

_ old world witchery and everything of the sort.  _

 

It was a quaint little shop, on the end of a row of equally quaint little shops. The difference with this shop however, was the contents of the shop, as well as the owners. This little shop on the end was a magic shop, but not one of the normal variety. Unlike all of the other ones one would see, this one was real. What made this shop real was the fact that it just so happened to be run by a thousand year old witch, along with her thousand year vampire sister and best friend. The pair had bought the building some hundred years prior, using the upstairs as their living space with an extension charm on it, since they were not heathens and would not live in such a confined space. The shop itself did not get much traffic, apart from the odd curious human and their regular supernatural customers, but that did not matter. For the pair, they opened the shop because they wished to have something to fill their time with. Drinking and sulking about day in and day out was not something that the vampire found herself enjoying, especially not with her immortal life. That is what led them to many arguments and disagreements during their time in their quaint little magic shop at the end of the row of quaint little shops.

“Would you stop trying to dictate every aspect of my life?! For the love of Mary Magdalene, you’re not my mother, Saskia!” A very angry, accented voice could be heard from inside the store as ordinary and supernatural people alike moved about the sidewalk outside.

“Aiya, please. I am not trying to dictate your life. I am simply-”

“Trying to tell me how to live my life!” Aiya’s aggravated voice argued, cutting her friend off as the bell at the front of the shop chimed, alerting them that a customer had just entered the shop.

“We will be discussing this later.” That was met with an eyeroll and a scoff.

“Whatever,  _ mother _ .” Aiya said sarcastically as she made her way to the front of the store, “Welcome to Charmed! Home of old world witchery and everything of that sort. Is there specific that you’re looking for? A spell or a hex perhaps?” The witch greeted kindly, pushing the prior argument out of her mind.

“Nah, just wanted to see what this was about. I mean, this crap isn’t actually real, so ya gotta be some sorta devil worshipin’ place, right?” The man said, narrowing his eyes at the small girl in front of him as she snorted, rolling his eyes at his lack of knowledge.

“Of course you would assume that anything that does not follow your so-called ‘holy book’ is devil worship.” Aiya responded in amusement, taking in the man in front of her. She could tell that he held some sort of belief in the Christian teachings and all their thoughts on the non-believers.

“Whaddya mean? You tryin’ tah insult me?” The man asked angrily, causing the other owner of the shop to approach the two.

“Not at all. She is simply stating that your disbelief in the Pagan beliefs and teachings is because of your lack of knowledge. Isn’t that right Aiya?” Saskia said, hoping that her friend would follow her direction and not provoke the man any further with her snide remarks.

“But of course, my darling Saskia. I would never insult a man of such a prestigious religion such as this gentleman here.” Aiya replied sarcastically, folding her arms over her chest mockingly as the bell chimed once more, alerting the trio to another customer. “Ah, another customer. If you’ll excuse me, perhaps Saskia will be able to help you with what you require.” Before either could reply, the witch had sauntered off to the newest customer.

“I apologise for her behaviour, she is angered from a previous argument.” Saskia defended her friend’s behaviour, “Now, is there anything I can help you with, sir?”

“Nah, there’s nothin’ in this place worth buyin’.” The man said rudely before leaving the store, glaring at the pale strawberry blonde that had insulted him.

“Welcome to Charmed! Home of old world witchery and everything of that sort. Is there specific that you’re looking for?” Aiya asked the girl in front of her as she smirked at the angered man that left her shop.

“Oh, um… I just wanted come in and wander. I’m really interested in this kind of stuff.” The girl said, moving her multi-coloured bangs out of her eyes.

“Ah! Finally, someone not boring! If you require any assistance, let me know.” The girl nodded at the witch, watching as she sauntered over to the large open book on the counter. Tearing her eyes away from the woman, she shifted her gaze towards the other woman that occupied the shop, watching as she approached the counter with a disappointed expression on her face.

“Can you not be civil towards others?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, tilting her head slightly.

“Why would I do that? I thought that it was your job.” The strawberry blonde replied with a sarcastic grin, glancing up from the large tomb in front of her.

“Aiya, you are a thousand years old, act like it.” The brunette snapped angrily, her patience already worn thin. The multi-colour haired girl in the shop looked up from the crystals in front of her, confused when she heard what the brunette woman had said.

“If you wanted me to act my age, perhaps you should not have bitten me all those years ago.” The brunette groaned when her friend used that card on her, once again.

“Do not use that against me again. You have been using that argument since it happened. I apologised, move on.” Feeling that the two women were about to get into a heated argument, the girl made her way up to the counter with a book that she had selected.

“Um… excuse me?” Both women immediately turned their attention to the girl, their angry expressions fading instantly.

“Did you find what you were searching for?” Aiya questioned, glancing down at the book that the girl held in her hands.

“I think so. I mean, it looks interesting.” Aiya chuckled at the girl as she motioned for the book.

“Well this is certainly an interesting choice.” Aiya said as she glanced up at the girl, “Would you like to purchase it?” The girl nodded and Aiya rang her through, placing it in a bag and handing it to the girl. “If you ever have any questions, feel free to come and ask someone who knows what they are talking about.” 

“Thank you so much! I’m Liza, by the way.” She said, smiling at the strawberry blonde.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Liza. I’m Aiya, and this is my sister, Saskia.” She said, gesturing to Saskia, who nodding in greeting. The girl, Liza, nodded and waved goodbye, leaving the quaint little shop.

“Now-” Before Saskia could continue to lecture her dearest friend, crashes came from the apartment above.

“Holy hell, what has he gotten himself into this time.” Aiya muttered  as she moved from the counter towards the back of the shop. “You stay here just incase anyone comes in, i’ll deal with our little nuisance.” Before Saskia could respond, Aiya had already turned and gone up the stairs to their apartment, bracing herself for the mess that she would be greeted with when she opened the door.

The apartment was quiet when Aiya entered, making her suspicious as she moved towards her bedroom, where she assumed the noise had come from. As she moved into her room, she saw a pile of her personal grimoires and other supernatural-themed books had fallen from their place on her bedside table. Rolling her eyes, she approached the pile of books and saw the one responsible.

“Nik, what have I told you about getting into things?” She murmured to her stunned familiar, gently picking him up off the ground and cuddling him into her chest as she curled up on her bed with him. The familiar felt guilty about knocking over the ancient books, but he couldn’t help it, he needed to get to the book he thought would help.

Aiya’s familiar was a strange creature. He was a black cat, like most people would assume a witch’s familiar would be, but his eyes were purple, which was quite peculiar. The familiar, Nikolas, was also clumsy, extremely so. One could assume that the character traits that he should have had as a human, if he could in fact, figure out how to get into his human form, had translated into his demeanor as a cat. As the years had gone by, it had become apparent that Nikolas was linked to his witch, for he had been with her for her entire natural life, as well as her immortal one. 

“I know you want to know why you haven’t been able to shapeshift, trust me, I do as well. But you need to be careful, Nik. I worry that one day you will harm yourself severely and there will be nothing I can do to help you.” At that whispered confession, the clumsy familiar rubbed his head against her cheek, purring. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, and so many reassurances he wanted to give, but he could not. Aiya’s mother had died, along with her own familiar, before she could explain the things the two of them had needed to know. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out soon, I can feel it.”

The two could only hope that they would figure it out, a thousand years had been far too long to not speak to one another.


	3. A New Experience

_ Silence. _

_ There was nothing around, just the endless blackness. _

_ Until it wasn’t. _

_ Within an instant, Aiya was standing in the middle of a street, the cobblestone and old buildings not helping her narrow down where she was. _

_ “Hello?” She called, rolling her eyes at her stupidity as she turned towards a large building. “This isn’t creepy at all, nope. Not at all.” She muttered, pushing the door open and stepping inside. The room was a courtyard with continuous balconies framing the entire courtyard. The space felt old, both in structure and in occupancy, like when she was around her sister. Aiya could feel the ancient power of whoever occupied the building and shuddered. _

_ “What are you doing in here, love?” A voice called from one of the rooms. _

_ “I’m not entirely sure, perhaps you could inform me as to where here is,  _ **_love_ ** _ ,” Aiya replied, glaring around her as an amused chuckle reached her ears. _

_ “You’re the one who’s come into my home, love. Surely you should know where you are.” _

_ “‘Fraid not, mate. Seems like I’ve jumped into your dreams or something of the sort.” Aiya replied as she zeroed in on the silhouette of the owner of the voice. _

_ “What for?” _

_ “What do you mean ‘what for’? I didn’t jump into your dream on purpose! Actually… I don’t even remember falling asleep…” Aiya trailed off, turning in a circle to really take in her surroundings. _

_ “Well, you’re clearly in my head for a reason, love.” The man said, stepping closer to the railing of the balcony without coming out of the shadows. _

_ “Well,  _ **_sir_ ** _ , I wish I could tell you. However, sadly, I cannot. So could you please tell me who you are?” The man chuckled at her question. _

_ “Well, where’s the fun in that, love?” Groaning, Aiya moved towards the figure, only stopping when she heard something that wasn’t either of their voices.  _

_ It was another person. _

_ “Apparently there’s someone else in your head, mate,” Aiya smirked, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the other noise. _

_ “Yes, well, I was in the middle of something before you intruded my mind, love. It would seem my siblings are worried about me and my current state.” _

_ “Yeah, well, I would be worried about mine if they suddenly collapsed or something so…” The man chuckled and moved towards the stairs, although not close enough that Aiya could make out who he was. _

**_Revertere ad me. Revertere ad hoc latus. Revertetur ad nos. Et ex altera parte Venite ad me._ **

_ “Well, that sounds like a witch trying to get you back, friend.” _

_ “It would seem so, love.” The man murmured as he descended the staircase, still not clear enough for her to see. _

_ “Well, in that case, farewell. I suppose. Perhaps we’ll see each other again, friend.” The man chuckled. _

_ “Goodbye, love.” _

_ Before either of them could do anything, it was like Aiya was sucked through a tunnel… _

 

And then she woke up.

 

Gasping, Aiya shot up from her bed, clutching her chest.

“Aiya? Are you alright?” Wide-eyed, Aiya glanced at her sister, her mind reeling.

“I uh- I don’t know… I- wha-” She took a deep breath, centering herself and her magic. “I’m fine, Saskia. Just a memory long forgotten.”

“Are you sure, sister? I have never seen you like this before.” Saskia questioned, moving closer to the bed.

“Yes, Saskia,” Aiya muttered, rubbing her eyes as Nikolas jumped onto her lap, moving closer to her face so that he could cuddle close to her. Smiling slightly, Aiya rubbed behind his ears, causing him to purr. “I will be out in a moment, let me get dressed before the inquisition continues, hmm?” Aiya hummed, holding Nikolas to her chest as she sauntered to her toilette.

“Very well, I will prepare breakfast then,” Saskia said calmly, before turning and leaving the room.

“Well, what a lovely start to a lovely morning, eh Nik?” The familiar meowed and rubbed his head against her cheek, showing her affection. “Don’t suppose you know what that could have been, love?” Nikolas just sneezed and shook his head, causing Aiya to roll her eyes and place him on one of the shelves. 

As Aiya disrobed, she was brought back to her dream.

 

_ Who was that man? _

 

_ Where did he come from? _

 

_ Where did she go? _

 

Those thoughts swirled around her mind as she stepped under the water and rinsed the sleep and doubt from her body. 

Once she was finished, she turned off the water and summoned a towel, wrapping it around herself. As she dried herself off, she stopped for a moment and listened. It was as if she was underwater trying to listen to someone speaking. Their voices were so close, yet so far away. Shaking her head, Aiya centered herself and stepped out of the washroom and into her room, stopping when she saw her familiar looking longingly at the stack of books that still laid on the floor.

“We’ll figure it out Nik, I promise.” She murmured, sending a fleeting smile at him before she entered her closet, dressing in the first things she saw before exiting the large room with a brush, sitting at her vanity. “You know, I think we should spend the day in the back room. We can work through both of our problems. What do you think, hmm?” Aiya questioned, sending a glance at the black cat that had perched himself on the corner of her vanity. 

Once Aiya had made herself presentable, she made her way into the kitchen and scooped up the plate Saskia had just finished making, along with the steaming tea that beckoned her.

“Thank you, love. We’ll be down in the back room if you need us.” Before Saskia could respond, Aiya and Nikolas had already exited the apartment, leaving her with an odd feeling in her gut. She knew that Aiya was hiding what she felt, that part was obvious and normal enough. But what scared her was the look in her sister’s eyes when she had entered the room. It was a haunted look, but there was also a bit of curiosity and amusement in her eyes, and that did not seem like it would bode well for any of them.

 

\--------------

 

“You know, you would be much more helpful if you had opposable thumbs.” Aiya mused, chuckling when Nik hissed and launched himself at her, narrowing his eyes when she caught him and cradled him to her chest. “Come now, little familiar. You know I don’t mean it like that. We’re close to figuring it out, don’t worry.”

For the rest of the morning, the two scoured the grimoires and tombs that Aiya possessed. But their search was fruitless. No matter what they read, there was nothing that gave them the information they needed. It seemed as if the coven that Aiya’s family had belonged to hadn’t bothered to write anything about their familiars down, which left Nikolas disheartened. As it neared midday, Aiya became frustrated, unable to keep her annoyance at bay. Not when the images from her dream were sticking in her mind, as well as the annoying prickling feel at the back of her neck, telling her that something was wrong.

With all of the frustration bottling up inside of her, her magic began to manifest. The purple energy began to swirl around her, causing her panic to rise. She had never lost control of her magic, not since her mother had given her Nikolas. She couldn’t stop the energy from flying around her as she began to shake, quiet cries falling from her lips as she fell to her knees, hyperventilating. It felt as if someone was taking a sledgehammer to her head and chest. Everything felt and sounded as if it was underwater, but there was something that began to be clear right in front of her. The courtyard from her dream had returned and she could hear the man’s voice, as well as others.

 

_ “There’s someone here, someone powerful.” _

_ “Stop, I know who this is.” _

_ “How?” _

_ “It’s the girl from my dream. It’s the same feeling of power that I felt when she was in my head… but it’s different at the same time.” _

_ “Different how?” _

_ “Like it’s out of control.” _

 

The voices faded again and she began to feel the room around her again, as well as the person shaking her.

“-ya! Aiya! Sister, please! Answer me!” With a gasp, Aiya jumped away from her sister, staring at her with wide, blank eyes. “What happened?” They were both silent for a moment after the question was asked. Aiya attempted to organize her thoughts, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t understand what was happening to her.

“I… I saw something. It was as if I was underwater, but the scene in front of me was as if I was watching it through frosted glass. I could hear what they were saying, but I could not make out what they looked like.” Saskia frowned.

“Did you accidentally tap into someone else’s mind?”

“No, not this time.”

“What do you mean, ‘not this time’?” Aiya sighed, raking her fingers through her hair.

“My dream. I entered a man’s head, but it was different. It felt like I was far away, but the connection was clear. I don’t understand what happened, but this time it was as if I was in the room, but I couldn’t move or see them properly.” 

“Do you think your magic is going haywire? It has never done this before.”

“I don’t think so. I think there’s something influencing me. There is something in the city that is radiating power, I can feel it.” Nodding at the desperate witch in front of her, Saskia stood reaching out her hand.

“Then I suppose we should check it out, hm?”

“I-” The telephone at the counter in the shop began to ring, making Saskia sigh.

“One moment.” Exiting the backroom, Saskia made her way to the front counter and cleared her throat before picking up the phone. “Charmed, old world witchery and everything of the sort. How may I be of service?”

“ _ Hi, I-um. It’s Liza, I was at your shop yesterday.” _

“Hello, Liza. How may I be of assistance?” Saskia questioned, amusement in her voice at the nervousness in the stuttering girl’s voice.

_ “I-um-I was playing around with the stuff that I bought yesterday and um….” _

“And what?” Saskia’s posture immediately became stiff as she detected the fear in the little human’s voice.

_ “Well… I was reading one of the spells in the book, not really expecting anything. But-uh… next thing I knew there was this purple flash and it worked! How did that even happen?! Magic isn’t actually real, so how the hell did that work? I-” _

“Calm down, Liza. Why don’t you come down to the shop and we will help you, alright?” Saskia heard Liza take a calming breath.

“Okay, yeah.”

“Alright. I may not be here when you arrive. I have some business to attend to, so just knock on the door to the backroom and Aiya will be able to assist you.”

“Thank you so much!” Saskia smiled slightly at the human’s enthusiasm before she hung up the phone before making her way back to the troubled witch.

“I will be back in a little while, be sure to be welcoming when customers arrive. I know you hate people-”

“Nonsense, I love people!” Aiya said cheerfully as she put away one of the books from the table.

“Right… Well, I will return later.” Saskia informed before turning and leaving the shop, itching to feed.

 

\------------------

 

It had been an hour since Saskia had left and Aiya was attempting to meditate. She wanted to center herself and keep her magic at bay, but she also wanted to see the man from the visions she had. He intrigued her, he had vast power coming off of him, somehow like her sister, but very different at the same time.

As Aiya sat in front of the window, she suddenly felt a presence behind her and reacted accordingly. 


	4. Lost Girl

Saskia enters the apartment, concern flooding her veins when she saw the disastrous state of the parlour. Moving into the living space, Saskia found the little human girl, Liza, tied up to a chair with a scared yet bored look on her face. With an annoyed sigh, Saskia continued into Aiya’s art studio, raising an eyebrow at her when she noticed her carefree attitude as she painted.

“What’s this business?” Saskia asked Aiya, waiting for her to turn around.

“What business?” She asked, tilting her head towards her friend, never turning to face her sister as she painted the courtyard from her visions.

“In the living room?” Aiya paused as if she was trying to remember what Saskia was talking about. After a moment, a flash of recognition appears on her face, followed by a smirk. Setting down her paintbrush, she turned and rolled her eyes at the brunette vampire’s annoyed expression.

“Ah, our little human fan?” Aiya asked as she brushed past her sister, making her way towards the girl with the multi-coloured hair.

“Aiya, must you always go to such lengths?” She asked the strawberry blonde witch in annoyance.

“I simply reacted accordingly to a situation. She entered my home without any invitation or consent, so I simply defended my home. Where is the problem with that?”

“There is a problem when you hold a human hostage in the middle of our home. Release the poor creature, she has done nothing but be curious.”

“Yes, well, curiosity killed the cat, dear sister,” Aiya muttered, waving her hand to release the bindings as she bent down to pick up her familiar. “I will be down in the shop, you can see her out,” Aiya called over her shoulder as she moved through the door, heading down to her shop.

“Are you alright?” Saskia asked as she turned back to the small human.

“I-I had suspicions that you two were different, but I never suspected- and then I came to the shop so you could help with it and she...” Liza trailed off, trying to piece together what happened in her confused mind. There were things that didn’t make sense, things she knew only the two women in front of her could answer.

“Liza - it is Liza, yes?” Liza nodded, “Put this out of your mind, it is not something you should be a part of.”

“But you-”

“Forget what you saw here,” Saskia commanded as she pulled Liza out of her chair and brought her down through the shop and out the door. “There are things that you should not wish to be involved in, so leave them be.” Before the human could reply, Saskia closed the door to the shop and strode away towards the back. “What happened?”

“I sensed an intruder and acted accordingly, I don’t see the problem in that,” Aiya said indifferently as she poured herself a drink from the decanter she had charmed to never run out.

“There is a problem when you attack a human! You could have killed her, Aiya.” Saskia lectured with an exasperated tone. “Now tell me what happened.” With an annoyed sigh, Aiya collapsed into her comfy chair with a glass of bourbon in her hand.

“Fine. I was upstairs meditating when I felt a presence behind me…”

 

_ Twisting herself up onto her feet, Aiya grabbed the intruder and pushed them against the wall. _

_ “What are you doing in here?” She questioned through her clenched jaw, squeezing the little human tighter when she was met with silence. _

_ “I-I came to talk-” Aiya scoffed and threw the girl with the multi-coloured hair to the floor, causing her to accidentally bring a table with a stack of papers down with her. _

_ “So you barged into my home? You are not welcome here!” Aiya spoke, her voice slowly rising as she approached the quivering human. _

_ “N-no I-” Before Liza could form a sentence, she was bound to a chair and unable to speak as she watched the strawberry blonde strut into the other room and turn on music. _

 

Saskia stared at Aiya in befuddlement, she had not realized how far out of tune Aiya was with her humanity.

“And you decided you would just leave her bound in the living room?”

“I knew you would arrive home eventually. Aren't you the one that generally cleans up my messes? What’s the issue?” Aiya asked, swirling her alcohol around in her glass as she stared up at her sister.

“Aiya, we do not harm humans-”

“Says the one who feeds off of them to sustain herself,” Aiya muttered under her breath as she smirked into her glass.

“Aiya! Take this seriously. You harmed her and you scared her. You cannot do this to beings that are fragile!” Saskia’s anger flared at her sister’s lack of empathy.

“Look, I get it. I’ve disappointed you yet again. But I always do, so why are you harping at me? Go back to your knitting or something.” With a sigh of frustration, Saskia turned from her sister and made her way into the shop, painting on a false smile when a customer entered.

“Hello, welcome to Charmed. Home of old world witchery and everything of the sort, how may I be of service?”

“I understand that you offer your services to those who are in need in the supernatural community.” Raising her eyebrow, Saskia folded her hands behind her back.

“It all depends on who we are offering our services to.” The man chuckled and shook his head.

“I heard you two here suspicious of everyone,” Saskia smirked and tilted her head, amused by the man standing in front of her.

“You never know who is going to try and manipulate you, dear.” She said, moving towards the edge of the counter. “So, what can we help you with?” She asked, watching as he shuffled in his spot, looking down shamefully.

“I’ve lost someone. I didn’t mean to hurt them I just-”

“You let your bloodlust get the best of you, and frightened this person you care about?” Saskia cut in, raising an eyebrow at him once again.

“How did you-”

“We’ve been alive for a thousand years, love. It’s easy to pick out who is supernatural, and who is not.” Aiya’s voice rang out as she strutted into the front room, Nikolas laying comfortably in her arms, purring quietly and contently.

“You’re-”   


“Yeah, I am. Who the hell are you?” Aiya demanded, not enjoying being at a disadvantage.

“Oh, um, I’m Bartholomew. But-uh, call me Barry.” Smiling sarcastically, Aiya placed Nikolas on the counter gently before stepping into the vampire’s personal space.

“And why have you come here,  _ Bartholomew _ ? What makes you think that there is anything here for you?” The vampire gulped and looked away from the strawberry blonde’s cold green eyes. She frightened him, like everyone else that knew of her temper and what she did to those she found to be threats or disappointments.

“I-” He stopped and cleared his throat, his eyes flickering to the older vampire before looking back at the shorter witch. “I heard that you are very powerful, probably the most powerful witch to walk the earth.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, little boy.” Aiya snapped her patience already worn thin from the day’s previous events.

“What is it you require?” Saskia enquired from behind her sister, eyeing the situation carefully.

“Like I said before, someone I care a lot about is missing. She’s extremely special, and I need help looking for her.”

“And why come to us? I am certain that you know of other witches. Why choose my sister out of all of them.”

“Witches and vampires don’t exactly get along, you guys are the exception.” When neither of the powerful beings before him spoke, he sighed. “Look, I tried, I really did. No witch would help me, especially not with what this girl is capable of.” The sisters glanced at each other at that.

“What do you mean? Who is this girl?” Saskia questioned, seeing the spark of interest in Aiya’s eyes that would not mean anything good.

“She’s powerful. Something happened when she was a kid, and now it’s like she’s got this link to other dimensions. She’s capable of jumping into them whenever she pleases, but it’s not stable. I need to find her before she does something or gets herself hurt.” The room was silent for a moment before Aiya spoke.

“Can she project others into these other dimensions?” Bartholomew was confused, as was Saskia.

“Why? Is that relevant?” 

“It is.” The young vampire sighed, rubbing his hand against his face.

“She might be able to, I’m honestly not sure of what she’s capable of. She’s only a kid and can’t exactly control it.” Aiya grinned, making the others in the room uncomfortable.

“Well, it would seem your little stray has already lost control.”

“What do you-”

“Not of import.” Aiya snapped, raising an eyebrow at him. “I will do the locator spell, but in exchange, I want to have a private conversation with her.”

“No, not without me there,” Bartholomew said immediately, refusing to leave the girl in a room alone with a psychopath like Aiya.

“Then I suppose you should find another witch- oh wait, nobody will help you. I’m your only option, little vampire.” Aiya stated condescendingly, smirking in victory when his shoulders slumped and he let out a defeated sigh.

“Fine. But only when I know she’s safe.” Nodding with enthusiasm, Aiya spun on her heel and made her way into the backroom to prepare for the spell. “What does she want with Katherine?” Bartholomew asked, fear evident on his face.

“I am not sure, but I doubt it is good.” Saskia sighed, her eyes narrowing in the direction that the fiery witch had gone. “I promise you I will not allow any harm to come to the girl by my sister’s hand.” Bartholomew nodded in thanks before making his way into the backroom when the witch called for them. 

Once both vampires entered the room, they took a moment to analyze what was in front of them. Aiya had a map laid out on the table in front of her with a lit candle on each corner. 

“Do you have anything of hers?” Aiya asked, frowning in annoyance when Bartholomew shook his head. “And what do you expect me to use then?” Bartholomew’s eyebrows knit together, he was at a loss. 

“Are you in any way related to the girl?” Saskia questioned from the doorway, watching as the younger vampire’s face lit up.

“Yeah, I’m her uncle. I wasn’t turned all that long ago.”

“Clearly,” Aiya muttered as she motioned for him to come closer. “I need your blood to complete the spell. Since you two share similar enough DNA, it should work.”

“Should?” Bartholomew questioned, his eyes narrowing in frustration at the short witch in front of him.

“Well, you’re not her father, so she doesn’t have an exact DNA link to you, but you’re close enough that it should be fine. Remember, little vampire, I made most of these spells. I know their limitations.” Aiya said with a smirk, loving that the baby vampire was playing brave. “Now, blood.”

“FIne.” the vampire murmured in annoyance as he rolled up his sleeve up his forearm with a frown on his lips and let his vampire visage appear as he sunk his teeth into his skin with a sickening crunch. Aiya cringed in disgust as she wrinkled her nose slightly with a scowl and Bartholomew pulled his arm away from his bloodstained lips as he smirked at her maliciously, noticing her discomfort. “Where do you want me?”

“That’s gross and uncivilized, you heathen. On the map, please.”

“Because you asked so politely,” he replied easily in a mocking tone as he held his arm out over the corner of the map while standing up from his seat and let the scarlet red blood drip freely onto the paper until the wound had healed completely.

Aiya held her hands over the map as she closed her eyes to block out her surroundings so that she could focus solely on the magic energy encompassing her and the familiar tugging at her stomach as she let the magic in her veins flow without restriction onto the map, moving the blood. Slowly, it congregated in one area on the map.

“And there she is.” 


	5. And So It Begins

_ “And there she is.” _

 

The little girl, Katherine, happened to be in the Distillery District, which was quite busy. The moment Bartholomew saw where she was, he immediately tried to leave, but Aiya stopped him with her magic.

“Remember, little vampire, bring her back here once you retrieve her. That was our agreement.” Bartholomew nodded quickly, dashing out the moment that he was able to leave. With a satisfied smirk on her face, Aiya turned and went to her bookshelf.

“Do you think it is wise to use a child like this?” Saskia questioned from her perch in the corner of the room.

“I’m not using her, sister. I simply have a few questions for her, I’m not entirely heartless.”

“What are your intentions with her? What answers could a child have?” Aiya was unsure if she wanted to answer her sister. Although they did normally share their thoughts, she was unsure if she wanted to share her revelation. She knew that if she told her, she would no longer be able to see the other side, and she was unsure if that was what she wanted.

“Just a few harmless questions, Saskia. Nothing that will cause her any harm.” Aiya answered, not looking at her sister as she found the book she was looking for and brought it back to her chair with a glass of bourbon.

“Why do I feel as if you are not telling me everything?”

“Perhaps you’ve officially lost it, sister!” Aiya exclaimed, grinning at her sister’s back as she watched her leave the room. Sipping on her drink, she turned her attention to her book. It was the only one that she hadn’t looked through yet for answers on why her familiar was still unable to become human. It frustrated her when she thought about it. She wanted to meet her familiar, to actually have a conversation with him. She wanted to know what he looked like, what he acted like. She wanted to know if he was disappointed in the things she had done in the thousand years they had been alive.

 

\---------------------------

 

It had been hours and Aiya was sitting in her chair, staring at the wall in frustration. The book had been useless, which didn’t come as much of a shock, but it still upset her. All she had wanted was to have a real, human relationship with her familiar, but it seemed like they were cursed to never properly speak to one another. 

As Aiya sat there, her eyes slowly became heavy, until she finally fell asleep.

 

_ “So, you’re back, I see.” Opening her eyes, Aiya saw that she was in a room unfamiliar to her. The voice, however, she knew very well. _

_ “It would seem so, stranger.” The man chuckled and she turned, letting out a frustrated sigh when she couldn’t see his face clearly. It was as if everything in the room was clear, but he was fuzzy and unclear. _

_ “What is it, love?” _

_ “I cannot see your face properly, it is as if someone does not want me to know what you look like.” _

_ “What a shame, love. I can see you perfectly.” Pursing her lips, she moved closer to where the man stood in front of his easel, paintbrush in hand.  _

_ “You’re an artist?” She questioned as she stood in front of him, still unable to see what he was painting. _

_ “Yes, I’ve always enjoyed art. It has taught me that vision can be achieved with a sheer force of will.” The man said, a smile clear in his voice as he set down his brush. _

_ “I’ve always had a similar philosophy.” _

_ “You paint?” Aiya chuckled at the surprise in his voice. _

_ “Yes, I do. I find it helps me refocus myself when I cannot think clearly.” The man nodded and stepped towards the couch in the room, motioning for her to join him. Watching his figure carefully, she sat down delicately, making sure to face him. _

_ “Have you figured out why you keep appearing here?” Aiya sighed, leaning back against the arm of the couch. _

_ “I believe so, but my sister does not trust that I will not harm this reason. Sometimes I feel as if she believes that I am a child like I’m just a ticking time-bomb that she will have to deal with the aftermath of.” Aiya confessed, internally shocked that she was telling a stranger things about herself that she had not even told her familiar. _

_ “I have a sibling like that, my brother. He has always cleaned up my messes, even after I’ve hurt him.” Smiling sadly, Aiya nodded in understanding. She felt as if the mysterious man in front of her was someone that she had been waiting for. It was like he was the only one that she could talk to, which was strange. _

_ “I think that I may be able to get answers soon.” The man nodded, not saying anything. For a few moments, they were in silence for a few moments before Aiya broke it, “Do you want me to sever the connection?” She asked quietly, unsure of his thoughts. _

_ “Do you?” Furrowing her brows, Aiya thought for a moment before shaking her head. _

_ “I do not believe so.” _

_ “Why?” _

_ “For what little interaction we’ve had, I’ve already grown to enjoy your company.” The man chuckled at her response, nodding in agreement. _

_ “I enjoy your company as well, love.” Smiling at the man, she rested her head on the back of the couch, enjoying his company. After a few moments, she began to feel like she was being forced through a tube, like before. _

_ “I-” She could tell the man was smiling down at her. _

_ “I will see you soon, love.” The man said softly as she faded from his view. _

 

Opening her eyes, Aiya smiled as she remembered what the man had said. She felt a warmth in her chest, it was strange. She couldn’t fathom how she already felt safe with him when she didn’t even know his name, but she did.

“Sister?” Snapping her gaze towards the doorway, she saw Saskia in the doorway with two steaming cups in her hands. “What are you smiling about?” Shaking her head, Aiya waved her hand dismissively at her sister.

“Not of import.” Saskia narrowed her eyes, but nodded nevertheless, handing one of the cups to Aiya.

“Very well. Do you believe that Bartholomew will actually bring that little girl here?” Aiya smirked into her cup, glancing up at her sister.

“He knows enough about me, dear sister, to know that he should never welch on a deal with me. I imagine he will be here as soon as he gets her.” Just as she finished speaking, the bell on the door to the shop rang out, signalling that someone had entered. Aiya hummed in delight as she stood from her seat and made her way into the shop, only to see that it was not who she was expecting that had entered her shop. “What do you want?” She snapped, glaring at the small human in front of her.

“W-when I came here last time, it was for a reason.” Liza stuttered, scared that if she said something, the woman in front of her would do something.

“You mean other than break into my home?” Aiya inquired with a frightening smirk.

“I-I called before I came! Saskia told me to come by so that you could help me.” Raising an eyebrow, Aiya looked back at her sister for confirmation. When she got it, she turned back to the girl with oddly coloured hair and narrowed her eyes.

“And what, pray tell, were you coming to me for help with?” She asked, leaning closer to the little human.

“I was reading through the book I bought from here and when I read one of the parts, something weird happened.”

“What do you mean by weird?”

“W-well… I’m fairly certain that the part was a spell, and when I read it… it happened?”

“Do you have the book you bought?” Liza nodded at the strawberry blonde in front of her and pulled the book out of her bag, handing it to her. She watched with rapt attention as Aiya looked over the book, noticing the strange designs that covered her hands and arms. They were swirling and it was almost like they had grown up her arms and curled around her like vines. They were entrancing. She almost couldn’t look away. As she stared, it was almost as if the markings were alive, moving and breathing as Aiya flipped through the book. “This has no magical properties.”

“O-oh…” Liza stuttered as she snapped her gaze away from Aiya’s hands.

“Did anything happen while you read it? Did you notice anything strange while it happened?” Saskia questioned as she approached the duo, have witnessed Liza’s fascination with Aiya’s markings.

“I-um… it was weird, actually. Um… I could have sworn I saw a purple mist or something in the room when it happened. But that couldn’t have happened, right?” Liza laughed nervously, her smile fading when she saw the serious expressions on the two women in front of her. “W-what?”

“It was nothing you did, I can assure you,” Aiya muttered, growling under her breath as she walked back into her magic room and slammed the door. She was angry with herself for losing control, she hadn’t done that in centuries.

“What did I do?” Liza asked Saskia, looking confused, nervous and slightly upset.

“As Aiya said, it was nothing you did. I can only assume that when her magic went haywire earlier that whatever spell you read happened because she accidentally charged the book.” Saskia explained calmly, her eyes roaming the human’s face as she waited for her reaction.

“W-M-magic i-is-”

“Real? Yes, very.”

“But-”

“Look, Liza. I understand that this is overwhelming, but we are currently attempting to deal with two very difficult situations that I believe to be related. So, do not worry. If it happens again, come back and we will look into it, but not today.” With a small smile, Saskia nodded once before turning and making her way into the back room. 

“W-but… I still need help.” Liza muttered to herself as she exited the shop, shuffling towards the bar that she worked at as she studied at the University of Toronto. It was hard at times for her, living by herself in the big city, but doing what she loved helped.

Arriving at the bar, she smiled at her co-workers and headed behind the bar, taking in the people in the establishment. The bar, The Three Brewers, was pretty busy at that moment, making her jump right into making drinks for the patrons in the bar. 

For the next few hours, Liza worked, plastering a welcoming smile on her face that began to hurt her cheeks after a while. Once her shift ended, Liza sighed happily as she exited into the crisp night air. As she walked down the street, she dodged some drunken people and made her way to the closest subway station, quickly jumping on so that she could get home quickly. Once her stop arrived, Liza got off and made her way to her small apartment that was just a few blocks away from campus. 

“Mia? You home?” Liza called into the dark apartment as she put her keys in the bowl and took off her shoes. Not hearing a response, Liza sighed and shuffled into her bedroom. The silence in her apartment had become a normal thing, especially after roommate had decided that she would rather spend more time at her boyfriend’s place than her own, but Liza was fine with that. The quiet let her work in peace. “Okay, where did I leave off?” Liza muttered as she opened her laptop, the screen coming to life.

For extra money, Liza tended to lend out her expertise in programming and occasionally hacking, to people who would pay. It was a decent and mostly legal way to make some extra money. Although it wasn’t always honest, it helped Liza pay for her schooling without having to rely on her family, who didn’t agree with her career choice.

As Liza went through lines of code, her eyes began to droop until they finally closed and she fell asleep to the sounds of the city outside of her window.


	6. Breaking at the Seams

“Why her?” Aiya muttered to herself as she paced her room, Nikolas’ bored eyes following her movement. “Why of all people did my magic find her?” She couldn’t understand it. Why would her magic reach out to a human she had only met once? None of it made sense. She couldn’t understand why her magic was suddenly misbehaving, it was strange. With a sigh, Aiya finally stopped pacing and collapsed onto her bed, running her hand across her familiar’s back as she thought back to the conversation she had had with the man in her dreams.

 

_ “You look tense.” Opening her eyes, Aiya saw that she was lying on a bed next to the strange man. _

_ “Yes, well, that happens when things happen to me that I can’t control,” Aiya muttered, rolling onto her side so that she could look at his blurry figure. _

_ “What do you mean, love? Are you alright?” The man sounded concerned, his hand coming to rest close to her. _

_ “I have no idea.” Aiya sighed, a thousand years of exhaustion clear on her face. “I feel like I’m losing control, and I have no idea how to fix it.” _

_ “Can I be of any assistance, love?” _

_ “I don’t think you have people like me here, darling.” The man chuckled, shifting closer to her. _

_ “There are witches here, love.” _

_ “Immortal ones with eternally linked familiars that accidentally turned their best friend into a vampire a thousand years ago whilst accidentally activating their immortality curse? Doubtful.” Aiya could tell the man was stunned, clearly not expecting what she had just revealed. _

_ “Uh-” The man chuckled to himself, grinning gleefully. “No, we don’t have those here. But we do have other ones that are a pain in the ass any way you look at them.”  _

_ “Ah, I have those at home as well… there kind of stuck up and boring.”  _

_ “Can’t disagree with you there, love.” They both sat in silence after their laughter died out, just enjoying each other’s presence. It wasn’t until Aiya shifted, accidentally brushing the man’s hand with her own did he speak up once more. “When you said you were struggling, what did you mean?” _

_ “My magic, this rift is making it go haywire or something. I’m not exactly sure, but my sister believes that my wanting to talk to that little girl is dishonourable… she doesn’t know a thing about how it feels for my magic to go out of control.” _

_ “What does it feel like?” _

_ “It’s terrifying. It’s like I’ve been electrified, but all of the energy has its own mind and where it wants to go, so it tries to go there, but it can’t. It rips at my control until I let go of the agony of it trying to escape. My magic is dangerous if left unchecked, it’s why my bloodline had familiars. They help us contain it, and even take some of the burdens if necessary.” _

_ “Why didn’t yours?” _

_ “We’re trying to figure that out. He’s never changed into a human, which he should have been able to do since I was able to use magic freely. We were meant to grow up together, die together. But I suppose my immortality changed that… maybe it’s my fault…” _

_ “How is a curse your fault, love?” The man was confused, he couldn’t understand why she would blame herself for something that had been done to her. _

_ “His life is anchored to mine. We are bound until the day I die.” _

_ “But you could not have known that this would happen to you.” With a sigh, Aiya nodded slightly, agreeing that perhaps it wasn’t her fault. _

_ “I suppose, it’s just that he’s been stuck like this for a thousand years. I really want to meet him, and I know that he wants to finally be human.” _

_ “You’ll figure it out, love.” Smiling softly, Aiya shifted on the bed once more, taking in her surroundings. _

_ “Maybe next time will be the time I actually see your face.” She murmured, tracing the pattern on the bedspread with her fingers. _

_ “Perhaps.” He murmured back, internally debating if he wanted to take her hand in his. He couldn’t wrap his head around how he was already feeling attached to the woman that appeared to him randomly. He wasn’t one to form emotional attachments, but it seemed that she was the exception. Just as he was about to finally take her hand, she gasped softly and began to disappear. _

_ “Goodbye, darling.” Were the last words he heard before he was alone in his room, wishing that she would return. _

 

\----------------------------

 

Her eyes fluttering open, Aiya sat up and stretched, a content smile on her face. It was strange, how close she felt to the mysterious man. She knew not what he looked like, nor what his name was, and yet she felt like she could tell him anything. It gave her a giddy feeling as if she was a schoolgirl with a crush or something of that sort.

Standing from her bed, Aiya moved to her desk where her sketchbook and pencil laid. Picking them up carefully, Aiya made her way into the kitchen and made tea, her mind swirling with possibilities of what the man in her dreams looked like. From what she could tell, he had light hair, not quite blonde but not quite brown. She knew that he preferred darker colours, judging from what clothing he wore and that he had a few necklaces around his neck. Apart from those few details, she had no idea what he looked like physically, but that wasn’t something that concerned her. In the few times she had fallen for someone over the centuries, Aiya had always fallen in love with their mind, never their appearance. To her, the mind was something beautiful and unquantifiable. It was something that was always changing and completely unique to every individual, unlike appearances.

Once her tea was done steeping, Aiya made her way to the large window at the back of the main area of the room, sitting on the window seat with her sketchbook open. With the few details she knew about the man, Aiya drew what she pictured the man looked like. She spent hours there, her pencil scratching against the white paper, the man’s face slowly coming onto the page. As she drew, her familiar crawled up onto the window seat and softly rubbed up against her, feeling her contentment. Nikolas hadn’t felt that from her in centuries, it felt strange, feeling an emotion that wasn’t negative come from her. He could only wonder what it was that was making her feel that way.

“I think I have an idea of how to fix you, Nik,” Aiya whispered to her familiar, glancing down at her familiar. Cocking his head, Nikolas carefully climbed onto her lap, avoiding her sketchbook. Aiya smiled lovingly at her familiar as he put his paws on her chest, looking into her eyes. “I will try everything to finally meet you, I just hope this one will work.” Nudging his face against hers, he curled up on her stomach and purred, knowing that she could feel his happiness.

“Aiya?” Turning her head, Aiya raised an eyebrow when she saw Saskia walking towards her.

“Yes, sister?”

“We should talk about what happened yesterday.”

“Which part, sister mine?” Glaring at Aiya, Saskia sat on the other side of the window seat, folding her hands in her lap.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, do not play stupid, Aiya.” Saskia snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose as she let out a sigh of frustration. “I’m worried, Aiya. You lost control, something you haven’t done since-”

“I’m wildly aware of when I last lost control, Saskia.” Aiya interrupted, her tone cold and emotionless.

“Please Aiya, just talk to me. What is going on with you? What are these dreams that you keep waking from with odd expressions on your face? Why are you keeping things from-”

“Those are  _ my _ business, Saskia!” Aiya snapped, standing up abruptly, causing Nikolas to fall onto the cushion below.

“They are not just your business, Aiya! Not when they’re hurting you, as well as everybody around you!” Saskia replied with a hardened expression, attempting to mask her concern so that Aiya would not use her emotions against her.

“They’re not affecting anyone, Saskia! If anything, they’ve made me better than I was!”

“Do you not realize what is causing them? Aiya, these dreams are being caused by-”

“The rift created by the little girl I have yet to meet. Yes, I’m aware.”

“She cannot close the rift.” There was a pause. Neither of them spoke after that confession, as they realized the implications of what Saskia had said.

“You-” Aiya took a threatening step forward, her magic curling around her hands and fingers, the markings on her arms and abdomen lighting up as well as her rage.

“Sist-”

“NO!” She shouted, purple tendrils of magic jutting out around her like weapons, “You talked to her  _ without me _ .” Her voice became deadly calm, frightening Saskia, “I had asked to talk to her  _ myself _ . But no, you had to take control because I am the one that is always violent. I am the one that is out of control.”

“Ai-” The purple energy flared up and moved closer to Saskia, only inches from her skin, causing slight burns on her skin.

“She could have helped me, but no. You had to ruin that, and for what? The thought that I would actually do something good just escaped your mind, didn’t it? Me, the disappointment, could never,  _ ever _ , do anything that is not destructive or cruel, right?”

“Aiya, I never-” Saskia attempted to fix what she had done, but the damage was already done.

“You can only ever see the worst in me, can’t you?”

“You only ever give me a reason to believe that you have ill intentions!”

“Everything I do is to protect my family!” Aiya screamed, tears in her eyes, her magic flaring all around her, wind whipping around the apartment. The familiar began to panic, he had never seen them fight so aggressively. He was scared, to say the least. As the two continued to shout and yell at one another, Nikolas tried using his bond with his witch to calm her down, but it was no use. She was too far gone.

_ -STOP!- _ Nikolas tried shouting, but he could do nothing. He was just a cat…

**“STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!”**


	7. Transmutation

**_“STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!”_ **

 

Both immortal women froze at the new voice, their gazes shifting to the naked boy in front of them. He had messy brown hair and doe-like brown eyes that held mischief in them. He was tall and lanky and looked awkward, but Aiya knew who he was immediately.

“N-Nik?” The boy’s eyes widened as he realized what had happened. 

“Ai-Aiya?” Gasping, Aiya immediately took her familiar into her arms, overwhelmed with joy. While the two clutched onto each other, Saskia stood off to the side, guilt swimming in her stomach. 

_ I thought the worst of her at a time when she was trying to be good… _

“Come, we should get you some clothing.” Aiya’s soft voice broke Saskia out of her thoughts, watching as Aiya wrapped Nikolas up in a blanket and led him to the spiral staircase that led to her room. As Saskia watched Aiya mother her familiar, she smiled sadly and silently retreated to the shop, letting them have their moment.

As Aiya helped Nikolas up the stairs, holding him firmly to her side, she couldn’t help but glance up at him every few moments. She couldn’t believe that her familiar was a human, clutching onto her as he tried to stabilize himself, his tongue sticking slightly out of his mouth as he concentrated. Once they made it up the stairs, Aiya gently set him down on her bed. Leaning down, Aiya let her hand hover over his face, scared that if she touched him, he wouldn’t be real.

“Ais…” Nikolas breathed, nuzzling his face into the palm of her hand. He couldn’t believe that he was human, he didn’t know he managed it, but he was happy that he had done it. He could finally share everything that he had wanted to with her. “I-I’m proud of you, Aiya.”

“Nik-” Aiya choked, her emotions unsteady and swirling in her chest. “I-how?” She couldn’t form her question, too many other thoughts in her mind.

“I wanted you to stop fighting.” He whispered, his hands awkwardly grasping at her shirt, wanting to be close to his witch. “I hate it when the two of you fight, I can always feel your rage and it hurts. I-it’s like this burning feeling in my chest and I just want to make you stop hurting. A-and I know that you think that she only thinks of you as a monster, but that’s not true. She loves you, Ais. She loves you so much and she only wants you to be happy, she just goes about it in a way that makes you put up your walls. She never means to hurt you, it’s just that she’s more closed off than she was, especially after she realized that she needed to keep her hunger at bay.”

“You’re incredibly observant, little chaton.” Aiya murmured, sitting next to him as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I am sorry that I’ve hurt you, it was never my intention. I only ever wanted to keep you from harm, and yet it was I who harmed you.”

“You didn’t know, Ais. You didn’t know and that’s okay. I know that you’ve always tried to take care of us, and I am grateful for that, but you never truly got to live. I think that’s when you became like this.”

“I became like this the moment my father tried to kill me Nik. He decided that I was an abomination because I had activated my curse. He tried to burn me at the stake....” Aiya trailed off, her memories swallowing her.

_ “What have you done?!” Whipping around, Aiya saw her father standing in the doorway of their cottage. _

_ “F-father, please! She was dying, I-I had to act quickly!” The hulking man scoffed, taking an intimidating step towards her. _

_ “You went against nature! Of all the things your  _ **_mother_ ** _ taught you, that was the most important! You have created an abomination, and have made yourself one in the process!” Aiya’s heart shattered at her father’s cruel words, she had known him to be cruel, but she still loved him. _

_ “Father-” _

_ “Do not call me that,  _ **_witch_ ** _.” His voice was hateful as he glared, “You and that monster must die!” As he neared her, Aiya’s magic flared up defensively, sensing his evil intent. _

_ “Please! I only wished to save her!” Aiya cried, moving to put herself between the man she called her father, and her best friend. “Please, we will not harm-” _

_ “You have already done enough, girl! Now shut your mouth, know your place.” He snapped as the other men in the village approached the cottage with torches and ropes. “Take them.” He spat, moving out of the way so they could grab the girls. _

_ “No!” Aiya screeched, her magic flaring up once more as she hid her familiar from view, hoping that he would be safe as she tried to get herself out of the men’s grasps. “Please! I’ve done nothing to wrong you, let me go!” Her cries fell on deaf ears as they dragged both girls to the posts that had been set up in the middle of the village. As Aiya screamed for help, she could only feel betrayal from the man that had raised her. She had not wronged him, nor had she harmed him, and yet he was going to watch her burn for saving her friend.  _

_ Once the girls had been strung up, Aiya glanced over at Saskia, seeing that she was still asleep from when Aiya had magically made her fall asleep. She now regretted that decision, trying to wiggle her way out of the bindings that cut into her delicate flesh. _

_ “You will burn for what you’ve done.” One of the villagers spat, holding a torch close to her pyre. _

_ “I did nothing but save my friend!” Aiya pleaded, searching the crowd for anyone that would show her sympathy, shedding a tear when she realized no one would help them.  _

_ As Aiya screamed and cried for help, Saskia groaned at the pain she felt in her throat and gums as she woke up, tied to a post. Eyes fluttering open, Saskia noticed the distress of her friend and immediately tried to reach her, failing when she ropes kept her bound to the post. _

_ “Aiya?” Saskia called, fear in her eyes as she scanned the area. _

_ “Saskia, I’m so sorry! This is all my fault!” Aiya cried as the men approached with the torches. _

_ “Why are they doing this?!” Upon seeing Saskia begin to panic, Aiya immediately shut down her fear, putting up a mask of indifference. She wanted to be strong, figure out how to escape, so she put all emotions aside and began to plan. _

_ “They’re burning us for my sins.” Aiya’s voice was monotone, startling Saskia and a few of the villagers. “They’re burning us at the stake for my bringing you back, I can appreciate the irony.” _

_ “Aiya-” The fear in her best friend’s voice made her drop all emotion, she could not show weakness to the man that was trying to kill her. Clearing her mind, Aiya shut down any and all emotions, becoming void. _

_ “Just a moment,” Aiya called, closing her eyes as the torches were dropped, stopping them in mid-air with her magic. There was a collective gasp as Aiya opened her eyes once more, showing her eyes glowing a vibrant purple. The villagers took a step back as the torches began to float upwards, twirling slowly in the air. _

_ “Stop this, witch!” The man Aiya once called father yelled, approaching them with his sword. Aiya only chuckled, grinning manically as the energy struck down the villagers, leaving only her father and the ones that had intended to harm the ones she loved. _

_ “You think you can control me, little man?” Aiya’s voice had darkened, turned cold. “I am more powerful than you could ever imagine, and you think you can kill me? With fire?! HA!” Her voice got progressively louder as the ropes began to untie by themselves, slipping off of her like snakes as she stepped forward, her hands slowly rising and moving outwards toward her father. Slowly, the ropes rose in the air like the torches and made their way to her father as he quivered in fear. _

_ “A-” _

_ “No more lies, little man.” Aiya snapped, sending the roped shooting towards him. As they wrapped around him, they carried him over her head and tied him tightly to the post he had tried to murder her on. “Now you get to watch the tragedy of your own design.” _

_ As the remaining villagers stared in terror, unable to look away, Aiya freed Saskia with a flick of her wrist. When Saskia was freed, she moved towards her friend but stopped when she saw the evil glint in her eyes. It was as if someone else was inside, controlling everything, but she knew it wasn’t. She knew it was her Aiya, but broken from the betrayal.  _

_ “Aiya, we can leave now. Stop this!” With a simple shake of her head and an evil grin, Aiya waved her hand towards her cottage and the belongings she wished to keep were shrunk and placed into a bag, which appeared slung over her shoulder. _

_ “Why should I? They are all murderers anyway. Don’t you know what they do to monsters? To witches?” Before Saskia could answer, Aiya had flicked her wrist, sending the torches that had been suspended in the air towards the other cottages. They immediately went up in flames, causing the villagers to panic and scream, but they could not move. Aiya had placed an enchantment on them, removing their ability to control their own bodies. “You will burn for your hatred and betrayal!” Aiya yelled over the cries of her neighbours, grinning manically as she turned to her father, “And you will watch until everyone is dead, then you will be stuck here to die.” _

_ “Aiya-” _

_ “Rot in Hel.” Aiya spat, narrowing her eyes at him before waving her hand once more, revealing her familiar. As she picked him up, she could feel his sadness and fear, coaxing him under her shawl as she strode away from the scene with a look of indifference on her face. _

_ That was the day that Aiya promised herself she would never let anyone in, for that only lead to betrayal. _

 

“Ais, don’t do that to yourself. Don’t punish yourself for things that you-”

“I’m not punishing myself, Nik. I know what I did, and I don’t feel sorry for it. They chose to try to burn me at the stake. They made the decision to go against something their little minds could not comprehend. They chose to kill me… and they succeeded.”

“No, they didn’t!” Nikolas tried to reason with his witch, but he knew she was too stubborn to listen.

“They killed the innocence I had because they didn’t understand what I had done.” She muttered to him as she leaned her head on his shoulder, grasping his hand in hers.

“Yeah, but you’re still you. You’re the strong bits of who you were before, don’t doubt that Ais.” Taking her head off of his shoulder, Aiya gave him a small smile before gently kissing his forehead as she stood from the bed/

“I’ll get you some clothes, then we can see about your room.” She said, clearing her face and voice of any rogue emotions. She hated showing emotion, history taught her that showing emotions was a weakness, and those weaknesses allowed your enemies to have the upper hand. She had followed that rule so closely that she could no longer easily do so around the people she trusted, always paranoid that they would betray her and use her moments of weakness against her.

“C-can I stay in here instead? With you?” Nikolas’ meek voice brought Aiya out of her closet, having found the biggest shirt and sweats she could find in the very back of her closet.

“Nik…”

“Just for a few days!” Aiya could tell that Nikolas was nervous about asking her, he was fiddling with his long fingers as he looked down at his lap.

“Until you get accustomed to being human, you can sleep here, little chaton.” She said softly, handing him the clothes before turning on her heel and walking back into the closet to retrieve night clothes for herself. 

The idea that her familiar was now human confused her. On one hand, Aiya was grateful that he was no longer mute and unable to do things for himself, but on the other hand, she didn’t feel as secure spilling her thoughts to him as before. It was as if now that he was able to respond, she no longer felt safe telling him the things that darkened her mind. It was strange, the fact that she felt more secure spilling her deepest-darkest secrets to a man she barely knew than her own familiar was strange to her. She couldn’t fathom how that made sense, but it did.


	8. New Friends and New Ideas

_ “Where am I now?” Aiya muttered to herself as she turned in a circle, knowing immediately that she wasn’t in the world of the man that she felt so comfortable with. She thought that maybe she had jumped into another world, which frustrated her because she just wanted to talk to the man again. _

_ “ _ _ Кто ты?” Hearing the curious, yet hostile voice behind her, Aiya put her hands up and slowly turned to face the man. From what she could tell, he was built, had chin-length brown hair, and some sort of prosthetic where one of his arms should have been.  _ _ “ _ _ Кто ты?” The man said more forcefully, shifting into a fighting position. _

_ “Right… russian. Umm… Я не хочу вас обидеть, извините за беспокойство.” Aiya said, her Russian not as pristine as it once was. When the man started to approach, Aiya groaned. “So you speak it but don’t listen when it’s spoken to you? Look, asshole, I mean you no harm, I'm sorry for disturbing you. As soon as I figure out how to leave, I will.” When the man stopped moving, just staring at her, she furrowed her brows at him, not sure of how to read him. She could tell he was human, but there was something wrong with him. It was as if he was in the wrong time, but that wasn’t possible. _

_ “How are you here?” He muttered as he began approaching her once more. She noticed that he did not have the accent when he spoke English, making her question where he was truly from. _

_ “I’ve been trying to figure that out for a while, it hasn’t been going well.” The man cocked his head as the scene suddenly changed, telling her that she was in his head. Looking around, she noticed she was on the streets of what looked 1930s New York. “So.. clearly I’m in your head.” _

_ “What do you mean?” The man’s gruff voice questioned, his stance not changing. _

_ “It would seem that since I have the ability to read and manipulate people’s minds, I’ve been connected to a rift in time and space in my city, and now I’m connecting to people through said rift and apparently invading their dreams.” Aiya could tell that the man was confused. _

_ “I do not understand…” The man muttered, shifting from side to side awkwardly as he looked down at his feet. Aiya chuckled under her breath and moved some hair behind her ear, stepping towards him. _

_ “It’s alright, I don’t really understand it either.” The man nodded once, shuffling closer to her. “But, if I may ask, what are you?” The shy man cocked his head, clearly confused. _

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ “You feel human, but at the same time, you do not.” Aiya tried to explain. “It feels like you’re out of place or something like that.” There was silence for a few moments and the world around her seemed to change yet again. They were suddenly in a snowy mountain range, the sounds of a train in the distance being the only noise besides the blustering wind. _

_ “They did something.” The man muttered, shuffling closer, feeling a sense of safety around the strange woman. It didn’t make any sense to him, how she suddenly appeared in his messed up mind. Although he knew that he should have tried to get her out, she felt soothing in his distorted thoughts. _

_ “I can feel that they’ve played with your thoughts. They’ve un-made you, then re-made you in the image that they chose.” Aiya let a small smile spread across her lips. As she looked around the mountain range, she suddenly began to feel the sickening feeling of being tugged through a tube. _

“-ya? Aiya, wake up!” Shaking her head, she stretched and batted away the hands that groped and poked at her face.

“Sod off.” She muttered, turning away from the other body in her bed.

“No! Ais, you gotta get up! Saskia said you have to make me breakfast, and I’m  _ starving _ .” Nikolas moaned, casting himself dramatically across her torso.

“You have opposable thumbs, make it yourself,” Aiya muttered into her pillow, not bothering to remove her, now human, familiar from her back.

“Aiiiiissssss…” Nikolas whined, rolling so that his face was in her neck. “Please?” He whispered, wrapping his arms around her like a monkey.

“You know, you were far less annoying as a cat, little chaton.” Letting out a scoff of indignation, Nikolas moved away from Aiya to get off of the bed, only to get caught up in the bed sheets and falling to the floor in a heap of limbs. With a long sigh, Aiya sat up in her bed, trying not to laugh as she watched him struggle to get up.

“Aiya, help!” Nikolas whined child, his limbs flopping uselessly as he tried to untangle himself.

“Why do I feel as if this is not the only time I will be helping you off the floor, little chaton?” Aiya muttered to him as she heaved him off the floor, setting him on the bed. Stepping back from her clumsy familiar, Aiya made her way to her closet to change. Once she had dressed in something suitable, she put a quick layer of makeup on her face and exited the room, calling to her familiar to be careful.

In the main area of the loft, Aiya saw Saskia sitting at the table with Bartholomew and a little girl. Without acknowledging them, Aiya sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed an apple, biting into it as she looked for her pop tarts.

“Aiya?” Saskia called, her voice presenting an underlying tone of annoyance.

“Yes, sister dear?” Aiya sang over her shoulder, putting the sugary pastry into the toaster. The atmosphere in the apartment was still tense from their previous argument, but Aiya decided to focus on more pressing matters, like her familiar that was cautiously making his way down the stairs, clutching the railing. “Careful, darling!” Aiya called, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

“Aiya, Bartholomew has brought Katherine to discuss whatever you wished to speak to her about.” Saskia’s eyes narrowed when Aiya waved her hand dismissively as she guided Nikolas onto a stool at the breakfast bar.

“Not now, Saskia. If you haven’t noticed, I’m rather busy with our newest… predicament.” Aiya said, smirking when Nikolas left out a huff of annoyance at her wording.

“Aiya, you asked to speak with the girl. She is here now and rea-”

“I’m currently occupied, Saskia. Besides, did you not already speak with her?” At the tone of her voice, Saskia only sighed and looked at their guests apologetically. As silence began to mix with the rising tension in the room, the small girl with long brown hair and green eyes approached the ancient witch with a look of awe. When the strawberry blonde noticed the girl, she narrowed her eyes and glared at her, stepping protectively in front of her familiar. Noticing the stance Aiya had, Saskia moved towards the two, uncertain of what her sister would do.

“You’re the one that the rift is connecting with.” The young girl said quietly, cocking her head when she saw the energy of the rift surrounding the powerful witch in front of her.

“What do you mean?” Saskia questioned, noticing how Bartholomew became tense as he stood behind the small girl.

“She’s connected to the rift. It’s all around her.” The girl spoke again, quietly. Saskia knew that the girl didn’t speak much, if ever. It seemed as if she was living in her own little world, not really in the room, but still there. As Saskia stared in confusion, Aiya moved around the counter and opened the fridge, pulling out the milk. Using her magic, Aiya opened the necessary cupboards and drawers to have the box of cereal, a bowl and a spoon sitting on the counter in front of her.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean, dear Katherine.” The little girl’s head tilted in the vampire’s direction, her eyes flitting about the brunette’s pale face.

“Her magic is connected to the rift, and given her abilities, she’s able to see past the rift and into the worlds beyond,” Bartholomew answered, putting his hands on Katherine’s shoulders while he stood behind her.

“Aiya, why did you not tell me?” Rolling her eyes, Aiya set a bowl of cereal in front of her familiar, running her fingers through his hair as she leaned her back against the counter, Nikolas’ head leaning on her chest.

“Tell you what? That I’ve been having nice dreams?” Aiya questioned in false innocence, her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide.

“Aiya-” Saskia began to scold, her voice full of aggravation and annoyance.

“Leave it be, Saskia.” Aiya snapped, pushing off the counter and stalking to the room she had claimed for her art.

Nobody spoke for a moment after the door had slammed shut. It seemed like she had taken all of the energy in the room with her. The four of them sat in silence, the only noise being the clinking of Nikolas’ spoon against the bowl, and Aiya’s brushstrokes, only loud enough for the vampires and the familiar to hear.

“So… I guess there’s nothing left for you to do here then.” Nikolas slurred, his mouth full of food as he let a cheeky grin spread across his lips. Giving Nikolas a glare, Bartholomew tugged Katherine back a few steps, nodding once to Saskia before leading the small girl out of the loft, into the shop and out the door. “Well… they’re a fun bunch.” Nikolas muttered after a few moments of silence.

“Oh don’t you start, Nikolas,” Saskia muttered, following the path of the other two into the shop, needing a moment away from her infuriating sister.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Nikolas frowned and finished his food, carefully bringing his dishes to the sink and placing them there. Moving away from the kitchen, Nikolas moved towards Aiya’s art room. Putting his ear against the door, he could hear the calming sound of her brush moving across the canvas. It had always been a soothing sound, listening to her paint or sketch. She would always sit there for hours, creating masterpieces from her imagination. Smiling at the memories of watching her paint, Nikolas sat on the floor next to the door and closed his eyes, listening to his witch paint.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Aiya had been painting for hours, mindlessly allowing her brush to flow across the canvas. As her mind wandered, she began to feel heavy, like she was being weighed down by something. It felt like she was being pulled down and into a smaller space. Dropping her brush into the water jar, she stumbled backwards a few steps, letting herself fall onto the plush couch against the wall. As she shut her eyes, she wondered where she could be brought to next.

_ Opening her eyes, Aiya sat up in a clearing, surrounded by endless trees and a blue sky above. It was strange, the power she felt. It was old, but it was different than the others that she had met. _

_ “How did you get here?” A low, gruff voice questioned from beside her, causing her to flinch slightly.  _

_ “I’ve been asking myself that question for a while now.” She laughed, turning to see a man in a trenchcoat with brilliant blue eyes and dark, messy hair. She could only make out those few details, everything else was too blurry to make out. It frustrated her, not being able to see what the men she met looked like. _

_ “You are not like something I have felt before.” The man said, cocking his head in confusion. _

_ “Neither are you, but I’m all for new experiences.” Aiya laughed when she felt the confusion radiating from the tall man beside her. His aura was strange, instead of just one colour, it was many. _

_ “Where do you come from?” He questioned, stepping into her personal space, making her narrow her eyes at him. _

_ “Uh, yeah. Look, as much as I love being close to people, I prefer to have my personal space so,” Aiya poked her finger into his chest, pushing him back. “Get out of mine.” The man bowed his head, acknowledging her wish. “Thanks, love.” She said, looking out into the surrounding forest. _

_ “Why do you evade my question? Where do you come from?” The man asked forcefully, his hands clenching into fists. _

_ “You’re not ready for that yet, love.” She muttered, running her fingers along a branch that was hanging lower than the rest. As she studied the branch, she noticed a faint blue glow emanating from within it. As she stared, she felt the feeling of falling, being sucked through a tube once more, “Well, maybe we’ll see each other again.” Without hearing his response, she disappeared from his mind, leaving him with questions and a lingering feeling of power. _

“Yikes.” Aiya groaned, rubbing her hand down her face as she sat up, noticing that her familiar was in the room, sitting in front of her painting, staring at it.

“Where did you go?” Nikolas asked, crawling over to her and leaning his head against her knees. Softly sighing, Aiya ran her fingers through his hair.

“Somewhere powerful. His mind, it was amazing. It was like nothing I’ve never seen before. He was old, but not in his own body. It was as if he was only wearing a mask, and his true form was something unquantifiable.” Nikolas frowned up at her, his long fingers playing with the cuff of her pants.

“How many people have you met through the rift?” He questioned, concerned for his witch.

“Three.” She answered, not sure if she wanted to tell him of the men she had met on the other side.

“What were they like?” Nikolas could see the shine in her eyes when she mentioned the men. Smiling slightly, she motioned for him to come up onto the couch, shifting so that she could face him. Staring into his eyes, she saw the sincerity in his eyes, the love that he felt.

“The first man I met was old, not in body but in soul and mind. Like You, Saskia and I, he is very old and emanates power. He was artistic and cut off from his emotions, but I could see that he still felt and cared. His aura was beautiful, Nik. Although it was blackened around the edges, it was beautiful in the centre. The colours, I just-” Aiya couldn’t put the words together to describe the beauty and complexity of his soul.

“Sounds like somebody’s got a-” Aiya quickly put her hand over his mouth, glaring playfully at him.

“Don’t even go there, little chaton.” Raising an eyebrow when he licked her hand, she smeared it across his cheek and smirked when he made a disgusted noise. 

“What about the other ones?” Nikolas asked, rubbing his cheek with his sleeve.

“The second was a man whose mind was meddled with. He was confused and his mind was scrambled, but he was still a confused boy. His aura was damaged, like the artist, but it was still brilliant in the centre. His aura was a brilliant blue around his heart. He still has hope after everything that has been done to him.” Nikolas nodded, leaning against the arm of the couch.

“And the last one? The one you just met?” Aiya sighed, not entirely sure how to answer that question.

“He was… interesting, to say the least. He was strange. His aura was like a vibrant rainbow, but it felt different. When I was in his head, there was this faint blue glow to everything around me, I didn’t understand it.” Nikolas bowed his head in thought, confused by her description of the auras. He had never known her to have that ability.

“Have you always been able to see auras?” Aiya nodded once.

“Since I came into this world.”

The two sat in silence, Nikolas processing the information he had been given, while Aiya sat thinking about her sister. She wondered if they could get past their current debacle. Although they had fought before, this one felt different, more explosive. With other fights, she had gone on killing sprees after, feeling their energy seeping into her, making her feel stronger. Looking back, it was perhaps not the best way to deal with her anger, but it gave them something to do while they worked out their anger. While Aiya killed ruthlessly, Saskia cleaned up her mess along the way. It had always been like that, ever since they became immortal. Although Saskia had thought it would be the other way around, being the one who fed off of humans to sustain herself, it had become the other way around.

**_“What have I done?” Saskia whispered to herself, rocking back and forth as her hands shook. She had killed Jon, the boy she had had feelings for since she was a child. She hadn’t meant to, she had been so hungry, and he had been one of the few survivors, forced to move to a different village. She and Aiya had been washing their clothes in the river, next to the destroyed village when he came across them, dazed and confused._ **

**_“Saskia?” Turning her head slightly, she saw Aiya standing behind her, watching her with a blank face._ **

**_“I-I didn’t mean to! I swear!” She cried, her head falling onto his bloody chest. She stayed there for a moment before she realized something. “But you can bring him back! You did it for me, surely-”_ **

**_“There is no saving one who is already dead, Saskia.”_ **

**_“But-” Aiya shook her head._ **

**_“Let me take his body, I will lay him to rest in his home.” Nodding shakily, Saskia agreed and allowed Aiya to take his body from her, watching as his body floated on purple mist behind a black door. Once it closed, Saskia tried to push it from her mind, to be like Aiya, calm and indifferent. “Put it out of your mind,” Aiya called as she approached. “Put it out of your mind and wash away the sin. If you keep yourself clean, the sins will not haunt you.”_ **

**_It had been from that moment on that Saskia had kept herself clean and impassive. She presented herself with grace and kindness, but a fierceness to protect her family because she refused to let people see the monster within._ **


	9. New Things

It was nearly nightfall when Aiya and her familiar came out of her studio, Nikolas grumbling about being hungry while he clutched his elbow, having banged it off of something moments before.

“You truly are the clumsiest creature I have ever seen,” Aiya murmured as she sat him at the table, making an ice pack appear to put on his elbow.

“Not my fault,” Nikolas grumbled, annoyed at his lanky limbs and new center of balance. Patting her familiar on the head, Aiya moved into the kitchen and began preparing food for dinner. As she cooked, she hummed a song that she could have sworn she heard in the dream with the artistic man. She couldn’t remember what it was called, but she did remember the way she felt as she laid on top of the bed, enjoying his company.

“I see you’ve stopped pouting.” Saskia’s voice disrupted Aiya’s thoughts, making her frown as her happy mood diminished. It seemed to be happening a lot, her good mood fading when her sister pulled her out of her thoughts. She didn’t mean to be angry with her, it just happened.

“Not pouting, sister mine. We were simply enjoying each other’s company. Isn’t that right, Nik?” Tearing his attention away from the painting on the wall, Nikolas focused on his witch’s voice, hearing the smirk in her voice. She loved annoying her sister, it was obvious in the way she worded her sentences and the things she did.

“I’m staying out of this one, Ais.” Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention back to her sister with a smirk.

“Nevertheless, we still have things we need to sort out,” Saskia redirected, not in the mood for another argument with the strawberry blond witch.

“Such as?” Aiya asked as she turned back to the food she was making, adding a few spices.

“Liza.”

“Who?” Huffing in annoyance, Saskia moved to lean on the island, crossing her arms as she addressed her sister.

“The human with the purple hair? The girl that needed help with the magic that you did?”

“That was an accident and you know it,” Aiya snapped, immediately breathing through her nose to calm herself. “As for the girl, yes, I remember her. What is so important about her?”

“Did you sense that feeling of longing when she was here?” Aiya sighed internally, remembering the sadness gripping the young woman’s aura tightly, refusing to part.

“Yes, what of it?” Aiya hated showing her emotions to others, even if it was her own sister. Sometimes it made it difficult to show that she cared, but that didn’t stop her from putting up her high walls around her heart.

“Do you not think that we should help her? Even if you do not like people-”

“Nonsense, I love people!” Aiya quipped, scooping the stir fry she had made for the three of them onto plates. Rolling her eyes, Saskia took two of the plates from Aiya and moved to the table where Nikolas sat, looking bored. While the three ate, Nikolas could feel the underlying tension between the women, making him slightly uncomfortable, especially when he could feel his witch’s emotions. He could tell that she held annoyance for her sister, but there were other emotions that he hadn’t felt from her in a long time, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“What if we invited this Liza person here? I mean, she’s just a human, right? Not like she can do anything to harm us, and I seriously doubt she’s plotting against us or something.” Nikolas said, smirking at his witch at the end, knowing that she was always suspicious of anyone that wasn’t her family. Rolling her eyes at her familiar, Aiya let a grin spread across her face.

“What a lovely idea, Nik.” 

 

\------------------------------------

 

It was late, nearly midnight as Liza made her way to her apartment. She had wanted to leave work before it got too late, but her boss had demanded she stay back so that they could discuss some things that she found little importance of. As Liza walked down the street, she felt as if she was being watched, which concerned her greatly. It was especially concerning when she remembered her small stature and how out of shape she was. 

_ Crap, I knew it was a bad idea not to hop on the subway at the last stop. _

Quickening her pace, Liza shuddered when she heard a chuckle from behind her. She was terrified, but she steeled herself and quickly turned around, only to see that nobody was there.

“What in the hell?” Liza mumbled to herself, her internal panic making her hands shake as she clenched around her shoulder bag.

“Elizabeth Karishma Drakov, born April 17, 1988, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Parents Alexander and Emilia Drakov, no siblings. Good grades all throughout elementary and high school until 1981, when everything changed. All family suddenly died and young Elizabeth fled to Ontario, where she finished her schooling and was accepted with full scholarships to the University of Toronto for Computer Science and Programming. Although, the curious part of your history is the events that passed when your family died. You know, the only thing left at the scene was a necklace with a pendant-”

“Where did you find that?!” Liza exclaimed when she saw the pendant hanging from her fingers. Smirking, Aiya sauntered forward, swinging the pendant like a pendulum.

“It’s interesting what you can find when you dig, Elizabeth.”

“Don’t call me that!” Liza was terrified, she couldn’t understand how Aiya had found out about her, especially when she had buried her past years before where nobody could find it.

“Now, now, Elizabeth. Let’s not quarrel. I only wanted to know the mysteries of the little human that seems so fond of the mystic and mysterious.”

“You found information on me that I buried years ago! Where did you find it?!” Liza yelled, her eye twitching when Aiya began to laugh.

“My dear Elizabeth, I’m a witch. Not even that greatest technology could stop me from getting what I want.” Fear crept up Liza’s spine at the tone of the immortal witch’s voice. “Now onto business,” Aiya’s tone changed to a more light and welcoming sound, “It has come to my attention that you are all alone in the world, and that just simply cannot be.”

“Are we approaching a point, or are you going to talk all night?” Liza said in monotone, trying to shield her emotions from the witch that knew too much.

“Elizabeth, love, don’t be rude. It doesn’t suit you.” Aiya clasped her hands behind her back as she got closer to the petite human, her gaze never leaving Liza’s. “Myself, and my family would like to welcome you into a… friendship, if that is the term.” Staring at Aiya, Liza couldn’t tell if she was serious or not. The two stood in silence, Liza with her mouth open in shock, and Aiya’s eyebrow raised in questioning.

“Wait… you’re serious?” Groaning at the human’s question, Aiya shook her head in annoyance and ran her fingers through her long, strawberry blond hair.

“Do you think I would be speaking to you if I wasn’t serious,  _ Elizabeth _ ?” Aiya hissed, her patience gone.

“Look, I don’t know what kind of act you’re trying to play, but I’m not buying it. Just leave me alone, okay?” Liza said in annoyance, hiking up the strap of her bag before walking past Aiya, bumping her shoulder. As she walked, she tried to understand why Aiya had tracked her down. She couldn’t have been genuine, not from what Liza had seen before. Shaking the thoughts from her head, Liza pulled out her phone, distracted from the quick footsteps coming up to her until it was too late.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original work that has several fandoms woven into it over time. I apologize if it's not what anyone likes, but it something that I loved writing and I sincerely hope that you love it as well!


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